Washington, DC – On the eve of the President Obama’s self-imposed deadline to close the terrorist facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Vice Chair of the Republican Conference, joined other House members to introduce legislation that would restrict the President’s ability to transfer Guantanamo detainees to countries with ungoverned spaces or active al-Qaeda terrorists or networks.

“To win the War on Terror, America must be proactive and always one step ahead of its enemies,” said Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers.  “The Christmas Day incident sheds light on the flaws in the Obama Administration’s detainee release policies – particularly those pertaining to nations which house al-Qaeda operatives, such as Yemen.”

The Detainee Transfer and Release Security Act of 2010 would require the President, prior to any detainee transfer from Guantanamo to a foreign country, to certify to Congress the following:  the country is not a state sponsor of terrorism; it can secure and exercise control over its territory; no portion of the country serves as a safe haven for terrorist groups, particularly al-Qaeda; and the country has no confirmed case of any individual released into their custody from Guantanamo that returned to terrorist activities.

“The legislation that we are introducing today will require the Administration to ask the hard questions and to certify that a country is prepared to take detainees,” said Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers.  “If a country is found to be unprepared, our transfer of detainees to that nation must end immediately.”